Monthly Archive

some were quick to judge and label Santogold aka Santi White an M.I.A. clone, and I suppose they were right – there is one song that absolutely has that M.I.A aesthetic (the song in calle “Creator”). but that is to say M.I.A.’s sound is all her own and she absolutely DOES NOT where her influences on her sleeve (I love both her albums but let’s get real). Santogold displays an unabashedly pop sound, complete with strumming guitars, chill basslines, and drums galore. upon many first listens Santogold continues to impress, and i find myself listening in many moods and situations; gym, walking, driving, what have you.

“Lights Out” is without a doubt my favorite track. it is a simple track that features synth lines on the breakdowns. most importantly, it has bass lines like the ones Kim Deal plays in “Gigantic” or “Cannonball”, or like “Nirvana’s “Lithium”. everything else in my world is secondary when such a bassline invades my eardrums. It’s been a while since a song has had multiple playback moments. can it be that it was all so simple. so far definitely best album out there.

some straight up bat-shit insane “news” has sprung in the last week regarding the Sox and Yanks. tonight the teams continue their rivalry in Fenway Park, the site of a vicious attack from a falcon on an suspecting school girl on a field trip who just happened to be named Alexa Rodriguez.

Last week’s announcement of this year’s Lollapaloozaline-up was met with a remarkably positive reception from the internet masses, a surprise to someone like me. You see, when Perry Farrell resurrected the traveling show, most people who care for public opinion generally opposed the somewhat sugary lineup, complaining it was too commercial and lacked the raw energy from its original early-to-mid 90s talent.

Due to lack of sales and likely poor public opinion (for the record I liked the return of Lolla since I am huge Incubus and Queens of the Stone Age fan), Farrell decided to keep the Lollapalooza brand name alive by instead turning it into a stationary festival like the ones made popular by Reading, Glastonbury, and Coachella here in the U.S. in 2005. Chicago was chosen as the city to host the event and has since remained the site for the festival. While the logistics of the concert have been an issue, every year it has grown in popularity, and just by looking at this year’s lineup one can see why (Kanye West, Radiohead, Broken Social Scene, Rage, many, many others). Simply put it stole all the thunder from Coachella and its organizers Goldenvoice, but only for a brief time.

Just two weeks before showtime, the folks at Coachella announced a major addition to their weekend, the purple one himself, Prince. Last minute additions don’t get any bigger. and while i for one second do no think that Prince was added to keep their brand name bigger than the resurrected Lollapalloza, it has to be said it was pretty perfect timing for Goldenvoice to show of their big swinging dicks and proclaim their status as king of the mountain.

The question is why is it so important to be number one in this field? it’s like sticking utilizing scientific and economic resources just to stick a flag on the moon.

In the midst of this new pathetic arms race, many (and i mean that in relative terms) are complaining in the All Points West message boardabout how Coachella and Lollapalooza and Bonaroo and whoever are putting this festval to shame. I suppose it’s a reasonable concern. The Goldenvoice organization has been quoted as saying there wont be any more additions. It seems right now paople are paying $100 a day just to see Radiohead, and they want to see a gazillion bands play simultaniously instead of just about 40 over 3 days (i happen to like the lineup; i’m going myself, but i woldnt mind Broken Social Scene!). and, of course, remains the question of Jack Johnson, but that remains a national controversy rather than just a NJ travesty.

I would say you should not to believe the “no more additions” rhetoric since about a 5-6 hour drive south, the Virgin Festival will take place on the same weekend, and they have already teased the buying public with their superstar headliners.

I typed all this nonsense to bring up my main brief point: Lollapalooza was criticized for being softcore compared to their past, but now these megasize festivals are packing tons of acts under the guise of “indie” or “legendary.” The majority of these acts are about as mainstream as it gets. Having Rage at Lollapalooza is not innovative; they toured their “rare” performances all last year. many of the big acts can tour by themselves; there isnt any room for small acts with large potential.

The appropriation of the word indie for capital gain is hurting these festivals a bit, but there is sure a lot of money to be made. I do want a few more acts to be added to All Points West only to avoid seeing fans of only Radiohead. It will be like last year’s poorly run Rock the Bell’s, by far the most pathetic turnout for a rap concert. Hopefully organizers can learn from this display as soon as possible

i knew it was gonna be a big deal the day this album would finally arrive to the marketplace, but i never really thought of this album as a cultural event. Lil’ Wayne evokes 2 other rap albums with babies in the front cover: The Notorious B.I.G. with Ready to Die and Nas with Illmatic. Wayne has many albums and mixtapes under his championship belt, but he obviously sees his new album as a rebirth of sorts.

in usher’s vision of himself and his surroundings, clubs are a solitary confinement. Neatly designed lighting show off an otherworldlyness he may not see once steps out in the daylight; it looks light a celebrity packed spaceship inside this room, and the rest of the patrons are no worry to him since he’s concerned with only one person. and alas she’s a mystery. it seems like he’s about to get it on with her, but she disappears, and he starts doing what he does best: dance.

it’s a awkward dance at first, and he doesnt show off any of his moves until around the 4:50 mark. i call it his masturbation dance. there’s nothing R rated about it, surprising for an artist that’s not shy about humping air and/or a fellow dancer. the dance is over and her image is gone, leaving usher raymond mad again.

i think he’s full of shit, but i guess it’s one way to connect with your audience.

the ncaa tournament was ridic. while my brackets were far from spectacular, the competition was top notch. many feel good stories (Davidson, Memphis), fast paced coast to coast action, and buzzard beating shots (last nights end-of-regulation shot from Kansas) to amaze even the most passive of sport spectators. Thanks Kansas for winning, bringing my bracket result from bottom feeder to a “respectable” middle of the pack.

champions league. this being my first full year following just about every single match in the tourney, and we got a nightmare quarterfinal round with four English Premier League teams. Thankfully, Arsenal and Liverpool will cancel each other out, and Chelsea might be eliminated by Fenerbahce (small chance). After the dust settles, Barcelona and Manchester United may face off in semifinal match-up with a large enough talent pool to satisfy the Futbol Gods.

baseball (beisbol) season kicked off last week (almost 2 weeks if you count the Red Sox/A’s calamity in Japan). and thank god. i’ve found myself already in midseason form cursing out the weak Yankee bats, distracted by our inability to play short ball, and amazed by questionable starting pitcher. On the plus side Wang, Joba, and Mariano are destroying the competition right now.

looking for my tax papers. i thought i had them all i one place but i was wrong. this hunt for documentation was a sport in of itself.